Book Sites and Reviews
Hello!
I'm here today to talk about reviewing books and how it can impact authors, especially independently published ones. I've been a self-published author for more than a few years myself and have dealt with my share of pitfalls.
Amazon and some of the other ebook retailers have a policy that they will remove reviews if money has changed hands between the author and the reviewer. Even worse, I have seen authors lose their accounts due to what Amazon considered fradulent reviews, purchases, or incentives to review or purchase on the part of the author.
If you're interested in making a book review website here's a list of important things to remember:
- Never accept money for reviews. Rely on affiliate links for income or sell an author interview service for a fee instead.
- Review a number of books you choose on your own before soliciting authors or publishers for review copies. They like to see your style before giving you a copy.
- Paperback copies cost authors money. Ask for ebooks instead.
- Be impeccable with grammar and spelling on your website. Reviewers who can do this come across as more bookish and knowlegable.
It's so important to do as much research as possible when offering a service that's supposed to be beneficial. The last thing you want is to harm your clients due to ignorance of their terms of service.
Recent Comments
13
As a historical book blogger, I am aware of most of this. Publishers and authors approach me out of the blue to review their books.(and I ask for .mobi copies). But I haven't made any money yet. Check out my website Magicofhistory.com on WA if you want.
I love the color scheme on your site, very inviting and it reminds me of historical novels.
Yes. I did that after I took a course from a "mom blogger" although I am not a mom, and she talked about the importance of color schemes. I can refer you if you want. The course wasn't very expensive, like $25 or something. And I am not an affiliate!
Thanks for those useful tips, friend! Will surely keep at them all and follow them sheepishly when it comes to accomplishment. Thanks for the post! Wish you much success in the online world!
Israel Olatunji
See more comments
Also, I am unfamiliar with an author interview service. That is something I could do. Do you know of any? Do you have any idea what they charge? Thanks.
I see you already have something like this where you interviewed Elizabeth Bernard, the author of Temptation Rag. However, I see no links in the article to her Author Central page on Amazon or to her book now that it's live. Linking like that will get you some affiliate sales if you've got an account with Amazon and/or other booksellers.
I've seen between $10 and 25 charged, depending on the blog traffic and how many times the post gets shared to social media.
That was part of a blog tour, which I didn't get paid for. They did send me a copy of the book. My affiliate membership with Amazon expired as I went six months without any sales. I did have links on the blog but no one bit, so I'm discouraged to try again.
Oh no, I'm sorry! Well maybe charging for parts of what you give on a blog tour a-la-carte might work.
What do you think happened with nobody clicking the books?
No I don't think they pay for blog tours,unless you're a really big site. My problem is traffic. Historical fiction is a tiny niche, but there are still many other blogs that promote it. I usually get 10 to 25 views a day, after eight months. That's why I joined wealthy affiliate, to learn how to get more traffic. I wasn't doing keyword research before, so that should help. I'm hoping.